In honor of Sean Urda, an Elwood-John H. Glenn High School student who recently passed away, the Elwood Union Free School District hosted the second annual “Elwood Classic” Lacrosse Tournament on April 11 with all proceeds
benefiting the Urda family along with two other Elwood families that suffered tragedies this year.

Sponsored by K&J Athletics, a not-for-profit organization dedicated to the development of young athletes, the event featured Elwood girls and boys grades 2-8 teams competing against each other in several games of lacrosse. Coordinated by Kevin Lavey, Jonathan Guercio, Darren Szokoli and Jordan Endler, entrance into the tournament required a team fee of $600, although all teams, regardless of the fee, were able to participate.

To memorialize Urda, a poster board with his high school jersey and photos was displayed at the tournament. Elwood lacrosse players were welcomed to sign the poster with their name and jersey number. “The Elwood Classic was an amazing day for lacrosse and for members of the Elwood community,” said Guercio.

Photo Caption:
Elwood Classic: To honor Sean Urda, a poster board with his high school jersey and photos was displayed at the “Elwood Classic” Lacrosse Tournament.

Photo courtesy of the Elwood UFSD

On Friday, the LIU Post football team took some time off from its spring practice schedule to assist in the Haiti Relief Project at Long Island Lutheran High School.

The Pioneers unloaded nearly 34,000 pounds of food in support of the school’s initiative.

The food was then packaged by the high school students and shipped off to the Haitian capital, Port-au-Prince, which was devastated by an earthquake in 2010.

“This was a great event,” said Assistant Coach and Community Service Coordinator Jim Gibbons (Massapequa, N.Y.). “It was a rewarding experience for our players to give back to those that have been through a life-changing occurrence.”

Source: http://liupostpioneers.com/news/2015/4/17/FB_0417151821.aspx

Continuing their ongoing program on behalf of troops overseas, patriotic students from the middle school’s Builders Club gathered at the East Islip Post Office on March 26 to ship a week’s worth of boxes of supplies destined for military personnel serving in Iraq.

After their shipping was complete, the students and club adviser Rena Costello enjoyed a pizza party with local veterans at Suffolk County Legislator Tom Cilmi’s office.

“It’s great to see this club growing,” said Cilmi. “Ms. Costello is a patriot in the truest sense of the word and cares deeply about the men and women who so profoundly give of themselves to fight for the ideals that make this country great. It’s inspiring for me and it’s clearly inspiring for these young Americans. I couldn’t be more proud of these students.”

Marine Corps veteran Larry Gruttemeyer was one of several veterans who were impressed with the students’ drive and patriotism. “I was very proud to be invited to spend some time with these amazing American students,” he said. “Kudos to their families and teachers for doing a great job and to the students that are living the American Dream.”

“It was great to be at the post office to watch these boys and girls support our troops,” said Marine Corps Sgt. Jeff Bachmann, who served from 1980 to 1990. “Sharing a pizza with them at Legislator Cilmi’s office, we had the opportunity to tell them why what they’re doing is so important for the morale of the troops. It’s also just as important to us older veterans. We see the younger generation honoring our troops and caring, and that gives us hope and boosts our morale. There are days we really need it, and I’m grateful for what they’re doing.”

“Little things we take for granted every day are special to our troops,” added another Marines vet, Chick Ciccarelli. “It was an honor to be part of the day.”

Navy veteran Armen Enkababian said, “It was a real pleasure to spend time with students that care about those protecting our freedoms and way of life. Their willingness to collect items, prepare care packages and go to the post office to mail them sets an example for all of us to follow. They should be proud of what they do, and their teachers and parents should be congratulated for instilling in each of them the spirit of caring.”

Source: http://www.eischools.org/news/article.aspx?id=25512

For the fourth consecutive year, students in Copiague Middle School’s Builders Club, under the advisement of Maria Ostrofsky, collected and donated lightly worn shoes to benefit the homeless and less fortunate in the New York City area.

Working in conjunction with the Give Your Sole non-for-profit organization, more than 25 members of the Builders Club worked together to bag pairs of shoes for men, women and children. Donated by students and members of the community, the club collected more than 100 pairs of shoes. Each bag contained 20 pairs of shoes that were picked up and brought to the Bowery Mission in Manhattan.

Source: http://www.copiague.k12.ny.us/news

Students in Valley Stream North High School’s Physical Education Leadership Program recently volunteered an entire day at the INN in Hempstead.  The INN (Interfaith Nutrition Network) addresses the issues of hunger and homelessness on Long Island by providing food, shelter, long-term housing, and supportive services for those who seek help. The INN is a not-for-profit, volunteer-based organization. 

As part of the leadership program, North High School students develop a sense of service to the community and help those less fortunate.  Students found the visit to be a rewarding and memorable experience.

Photo captions:
Photo A: Students in Valley Stream North High School’s Physical Education Leadership Program recently volunteered an entire day at the INN in Hempstead.

Photo B:  Valley Stream North High School students helped organize items in the INN’s food pantry.

Photo C: Students also assisted in serving food to those in need during their visit.